Contents

Description

Design

3D Universe

Resembling a 1987–1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ (as evidenced by its rectangular headlights and signal lights) and differing by its horizontal slitted grille design, the Mesa Grande is evidently a compact SUV with a heightened ground clearance and large wheels to facilitate offloading. The Mesa Grande comes in three variations with regards to the occupants' compartment, including a canvas top, a rollbar or nothing at all. The GTA San Andreas Mesa is either open top or closed top (tan or brown) only. Both versions are always equipped with one piece solid doors with glass (no half or canvas versions). The Mesa Grande/Mesa can only seat two.

While more common in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories, the Mesa is a somewhat rare vehicle in GTA San Andreas, as it only seems to spawn under certain conditions, and only has prominent appearances in missions and when wanted in the Exports and Imports side-mission. GTA San Andreas' Mesa, however, can be upgraded at TransFender (though roof color must be achieved at a Pay 'n' Spray first).

The doors of the Mesa Grande can be removed using any melee weapon, creating a more realistic convertible version.

Performance

GTA San Andreas

The Mesa Grande's performance is similar to that of the Blista Compact; due to its light weight and short wheelbase, the Mesa Grande is significantly nimble and possesses above average pickup and torque than speed. However, as a compact SUV, the Mesa Grande only has a moderate top speed. Its light weight and stiff suspension may also result in frequent rollovers on uneven terrain or in accidents.

GTA V

The Mesa has sluggish acceleration because of its heavy construction.

Variants

The Mesa Grande has been adopted by the military in GTA for non-combat roles, emulating the use of the similarly designed Willys MB, Willys M38, or M151 MUTT by the US Army prior to the extensive deployment of HMMWVs (the actual design of the Mesa Grande is not based on any military jeep).

In GTA San Andreas, Mesas are featured in "Robbing Uncle Sam", having been used by the National Guard (sometimes with a green roof), while a military variant of the Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City Stories, painted in military green, is available in the Fort Baxter Air Base. Both variants are still referred to by their respectable original names, Mesa and Mesa Grande.

In GTA V, Merryweather uses an off-road Mesa (in both hard top and open top variants) as a troop transport. A military version of the Mesa, called the Crusader, is used by the US military in and around Fort Zancudo.

Because there are no options at TransFender to modify the roof color, if there is a canvas roof, a Pay 'n' Spray can be used first until the desired roof color is achieved before entering TransFender to color the body.

Exhausts

Large Exhaust: $250 ($300)

Medium Exhaust: $200 ($240)

Twin Exhaust: $300 ($360)

Lights

Round Fog Lamp: $100 ($120)

Square Fog Lamp: $50 ($60)

Nitro

2x Nitrous: $200 ($240)

5x Nitrous: $500 ($600)

10x Nitrous: $1,000 ($1,200)

Wheels

Import: $820 ($984)

Atomic: $770 ($924)

Ahab: $1,000 ($1,200)

Virtual: $620 ($744)

Access: $1,140 ($1,368)

Off Road Wheel: $1,000 ($1,200)

Mega: $1,030 ($1,236)

Grove: $1,230 ($1,476)

Twist: $1,200 ($1,440)

Wires: $1,560 ($1,872)

Car Stereo

Bass Boost: $100 ($120)

Hydraulics: $1,500 ($1,800)

Trivia

The Mesa Grande in GTA Vice City uses a handling line named DESPERAD, which matches an unused text entry DESPERA associated to the text "Desperado." This implies that Desperado is probably the name used for the Mesa Grande during development of the game.

The Mesa Grande plays the following radio stations by default when entered:

In GTA San Andreas, the front suspension of the SUV "sags" down once the player is driving, implying that the engine's heavy, however others being driven by NPC's shows the SUV at perfect height. Same applies to the Tow Truck.